SRI LANKA: "COMPETENT AUTHORITY" STILL IN CHARGE

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000623

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/INSB, DRL/NESCA AND PRM
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID
AID/W FOR ANE/SCA
AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP FOR JDWORKEN, JBORNS
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR ACONVERY, RTHAYER AND RKERR
BANGKOK FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA WBERGER
KATHMANDU FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA MROGERS AND POL SBERRY
USMISSION GENEVA FOR NKYLOH
USUN FOR ECOSOC DMERCADO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: "COMPETENT AUTHORITY" STILL IN CHARGE


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Although the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) has
indicated that responsibility for camp management in Manik Farms and
in the transit sites in and around Vavuniya District was being
transferred from Competent Authority (CA) Major General Chandrasiri
to Vavuniya Government Authority (GA) Mrs. P. Charles, the CA is in
fact still in control and is personally involved in the day to day
management of Manik Farms. The CA holds a weekly interagency
meeting to receive updates on the status of agencies' activities, as
well as to give the CA a forum in which he can inform the agencies
of decisions impacting on their operations. The CA announced that
he had authorized the clearing of two addition zones (zones 7 and 8)
as part of the overall plan to decongest Manik Farms. The CA also
holds periodic "Zonal Meetings" that let him see first hand what is
going on in the camps and provides agencies an opportunity to raise
camp management issues. The CA approved the opening of additional
stores in Manik Farms to bring in fish, meat, and a variety of other
foods. He had previously approved bakeries, banks, and mobile food
stores. The willingness of the GSL to allow businesses to operate
in the camps could reflect a desire to bring some "normalcy" to
Manik Farms. This could be the beginning of a process of
transitioning the camps to more permanent "welfare" settlements.
The CA stated that access is not a problem and that agencies working
at Manik Farms should inform him of any access issues. The CA has
reportedly stated that he plans to complete work on the camps in two
months. End summary.

CAMP MANAGEMENT
--------------


2. (SBU) As previously reported by USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign
Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA),the GSL had indicated that
responsibility for camp management in Manik Farms and in the transit
sites in and around Vavuniya was being transferred from the CA to
the Vavuniya GA. Although Sri Lankan military presence in the camps
has been reduced significantly, the military is still present to a
limited extent as part of ongoing security screening operations. In
addition, military personnel can also be found in the camps clearing
new sites and erecting tents. By and large, however, the military
is now only located on the perimeter of Manik Farms controlling
access into and out of the camps. Although the military might be
out of the camps, the CA is still in complete control and is, in
fact, personally involved in the day to day management of Manik
Farms.


3. (SBU) The USAID/OFDA regional advisor attended the last weekly
CA interagency meeting that Major General Chandrasiri held with the
heads of all U.N. agencies, government agencies (Health Department,
Education Department, National Water Supply and Drainage Board, and
the Rural Development Authority),as well as with representatives
from all local and international non-governmental organizations
(NGOs). The purpose of this weekly coordination meeting is to
update the CA on the status of agencies' activities in Manik Farms,
as well as to give the CA a forum in which he can inform the various
agencies of decisions that impact on their operations. During this
meeting, for example, the CA informed the Office of the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that the Sri Lankan army had
cleared 90 acres in Zone 5 and that six blocks were now ready. He
instructed UNHCR and the other INGOs that they had five days to
establish the necessary infrastructure - tents, latrines, water
tanks, bathing/washing sites, communal kitchens, and public health
centers - to support the new camp. The CA indicated that he was
moving in 2,000 families (8,000 individuals) from Zone 2 to Zone 5
in five days and that the site should be ready by then. The CA said
that he had carried out his job and now the agencies involved had to
do theirs. The CA also announced for the first time that the Sri
Lankan army had begun clearing a site for a sixth zone. He informed
UNHCR and the GA that they had five days to survey the site and that
they should plan on putting up tents in two to three weeks.

DECONGESTING CAMPS
--------------

4. (SBU) The CA also announced at this meeting that he had
authorized the clearing of two additional zones (Zones 7 and 8) as
part of the overall plan to decongest Manik Farms. This would
increase Manik Farms from five to nine zones. The CA stated that an
estimated 20,000 internally displaced person (IDP) families would be
moved out of the existing zones and into the new zones to reduce
overcrowding. The CA stated that his preference is one tent per
family. Providing shelter for the 20,000 IDP families will require
the construction of an equal number of shelters/tents. The CA
directed UNHCR to provide them. The new zones will also require the
same infrastructure, including water, latrines, medical support,
learning centers, among others, as the other five zones which will
likely stretch available resources. UNHCR has reported that the
agency will need nearly 11,500 latrines to reduce the ration from
1:50 to 1:20 and 1,200 bathing spaces to meet needs. The CA also
noted that an additional 20,000 100-liter garbage bins (55 gallon
drums cut in half) are needed for the new camp sites.

CAMP STORES OPEN
--------------


5. (SBU) USAID/OFDA has previously reported that distribution of
complementary food rations to IDPs, including canned fish, chick
peas, tofu, curry, and chili powder would cease in approximately one
month due to lack of continued donor funding. Funding was provided
for the initial three-month emergency period. The GA has expressed
concerns about the sudden cutoff of complementary food and has urged
the U.N. Food Cluster to continue providing complementary food until
the GSL could come up with a solution. The CA, however, has decided
to open food stores within the camp site. The CA announced at the
meeting that fish from Mannar District would be brought in the next
day and that meat would also be made available. Even one of Sri
Lanka's leading grocery chains, Keels, is prepared to begin
operations in the sites. A Keels representative told the CA at the
meeting that Keels was prepared to open up food stalls, operate
mobile stores, and provide eight different ready-to-eat meals for
sale to the IDPs. The CA requested the Keels representative to
provide employees' names and their National ID card numbers and
informed him that they could begin operations the following day.
These businesses would join bakeries, banks (Ceylon Bank),and
mobile food stores operated by the Multipurpose Cooperative
Societies as commercial businesses approved to operate in the camps.
It is difficult to say at this juncture how many IDPs have access
to cash to buy goods, but NGOs report that many IDPs have relatives
living abroad who can send remittances through the Bank of Ceylon.
The bank also serves as a pawn broker giving loans in exchange for
gold jewelry. INGOs also reported that many of the IDPs are on
pensions or are government workers that are receiving payments from
the GSL. In addition, there are cash-for-work programs operating in
the camps that are adding to the available cash. The CA also
encourages cash-for-work activities. In addition, he instructed the
Health Department to hire IDPs with prior experience in insecticide
spraying and provide them with a salary.

TRANSITION TO SEMI-PERMANENT SHELTERS
--------------


6. (SBU) The willingness on the part of the GSL to allow businesses
to operate in the camp site before even basic emergency
infrastructure is set up could reflect the GSL's desire to bring
some "normalcy" to Manik Farms. This could be the beginning of a
process of transitioning the camps from emergency camps to more
permanent "welfare villages." The CA has stated in the past that he
supports constructing semi-permanent shelter and mentioned in the CA
interagency meeting that he would prefer that the 20,000 emergency
shelter/tents he has asked for be semi-permanent structures.
However, several shelter INGO's are concerned that the CA will
insist that the 6,757 emergency shelters now in Zone 3, which are in
need of maintenance and repair, should be upgraded to semi-permanent
structures as part of the maintenance and repair process. This
could be done by reinforcing the structures and by replacing the
plastic sheeting and/or tarpaulins used on the side and roofs with a
stronger, longer lasting material. UNHCR, the U.N. Shelter Cluster,
and donors, however, have stated that they will not support such a
move and that they will continue to only provide temporary emergency
shelters to meet existing requirements. It remains to be seen
whether the CA will ask UNHCR to upgrade the existing emergency
shelters or whether the GSL will find other sources to provide the
funding to do so. Even if UNHCR does complete the necessary repairs
on the emergency shelters in Zone 3, they will only last another
three months. Thus, the GSL decision to transition from emergency
to semi-permanent shelters would just be postponed until
September-the start of the northeast monsoon season.


7. (SBU) At a June 12 meeting with U.N. and local and international
NGO representatives, Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief
Services Rishad Bathiudeen asked that more permanent shelters be
provided due to the upcoming rainy season. In addition, at a June
15 meeting with the Charge, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil
Rajapaksa said that some people might put the wrong interpretation
on the GSL desire to construct more permanent shelter for the IDPs.
The GSL's intention is to provide in-camp vocational training to
IDPs on shelter construction and allow IDPs take their upgraded
shelter with them when they return to places of origin, he added.
The June 16 edition of the Daily Mirror, however, had a front page
graphic depicting the design of a "welfare village for IDPs" in
Manik Farms that encompasses Zones 0-5.

ZONAL MEETINGS
--------------


8. (SBU) Although the CA holds a weekly interagency meeting with
the U.N., GA, and local and international NGOs to discuss camp
management issues, he has also started holding meetings in each of
the camp's four zones attended by the respective Zone Commander,
U.N. agencies, local and international NGOs, and IDP representatives
from each block. This is an on-the-ground, personal inspection by
the CA of conditions in each of the zones. If the CA finds
problems, he directs the appropriate agency to correct the
deficiency. For example, last weekend he found latrines that were
overflowing in one of the zones and instructed the U.N. Children's
Fund (UNICEF) to repair them. Less than one week after this
inspection of the zones, the CA held a follow-up, day long meeting
in Manik Farms that started at Zone 0 and ended at Zone 4. Every
agency that works in Manik Farms was represented.


9. (SBU) These meetings not only allow the CA see first hand what
is going on in the camps but also provide agencies an opportunity to
raise camp management issues with him. Although the CA is a
micro-manager with a "dictatorial" style, these meetings also
provide give and take between the CA and the agencies. It appears
from the outcome of these meetings that the CA is receptive to
suggestions from agencies to change policies and/or to implement new
ones that they recommend in order to improve humanitarian
operations. For example, a week ago the CA announced that all water
bowsers had to be parked in the Manik Farms over night rather than
in the respective agencies' parking area where they can be
maintained. When the agencies pointed out to the CA that his policy
hindered water distribution rather than improved it, the CA reversed
the policy. When agencies asked the CA to set up diesel fueling
points in the camps to avoid driving long distances to refuel water
bowsers, the CA agreed and opened fuel points in the camps. When
agencies complained about the lack of after-hours medical support in
Manik Farms, the CA had two air conditioned vans brought to the
camps so doctors had a place to stay at night. Also, in a
discussion about allowing smoking in Manik Farms, the CA reported at
the meeting that people were smuggling cigarettes into the camp and
that it must stop. He stated, however, that IDPs had a right to
smoke and announced with a bit of flair that he had called the
"agent" in Vavuniya to bring a load of cigarettes to Manik Farms the
next day. At the end of the meeting, however, a Health Department
representative expressed his disagreement with the CA's decision to
allow smoking in Manik Farms since IDPs were living in confined
quarters and passive smoke was dangerous to children. The CA looked

at the audience and asked if anyone had a position on this. No one
raised a hand. Then the CA announced that smoking was banned in
Manik Farms.

ACCESS
--------------


10. (SBU) The CA stated at the interagency meeting that access was
not a problem and that any agency that encounters problems entering
Manik Farms to carry out their work should inform him. Access to
the CA, however, means merely transporting materials or relief
supplies into the camp. It does not apply to agencies that want to
drive into the camp with empty vehicles to monitor activities or
supervise staff. INGOs that the USAID/OFDA regional advisor spoke
with reported that they have found a way around this rule by loading
their vehicles with relief supplies so it looks as if they are going
to distribute relief commodities in Manik Farms. This tactic seems
to be working and has enabled most agencies to gain access to the
zones to monitor their projects. Several agencies, however,
continue to report that they have to negotiate access every time
they want to enter the camps, even if they are carrying relief
supplies or other materials. The USAID/OFDA regional advisor
reported that he was able to enter Zone 4 with the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) to visit IOM-supported public
health centers without any delays at the gate. It seems that
enforcement depends on who is manning the gate at the time.

CAMP COMPLETION
--------------


11. (SBU) Several heads of agencies have informed the USAID/OFDA
regional advisor that the CA has stated that he plans to complete
work on the camps in two months. This is probably a realistic goal
given the scope of the work already completed in Manik Farms. The
CA, for his part, seems to be adept at incorporating U.N. agencies
and international humanitarian actors and their resources into his
plan for achieving this objective. If at the end of two months camp
infrastructures are in place, the camps are decongested, stores are
operating, and the transition from emergency camps to the
semi-permanent "welfare villages" has begun, then the CA will have
accomplished his mission.


12. (SBU) COMMENT: Completing the camps is one thing. Whether they
will meet the UN's Sphere standards - or whether Sphere compliance
is even an issue for the GSL - is another. Although improvements
are being made on a weekly basis to infrastructure and services in
the camps, there is a long way to go to bring them up to
international humanitarian standards, leading to pessimism among
INGOs working in Manik Farms that Sphere Standards will ever be met.
For example, it is questionable whether the GSL can complete the
water distribution network to each block in each zone or if the
11,000 plus latrines that need to be constructed will be built and
old ones closed within the next two months. If the GSL declares
that the humanitarian emergency is over when the camps are
completed, then the international community may lose whatever
leverage it now has to induce the GSL to bring the camps up to
international standards.

MOORE